Name of Death
by Turak's Maw
Summary: First Fanfiction, just wondering if im cut out for this sort of thing. PLEASE REVIEW, so i know whether or not to continue with this one. Thanks!  My version of the fourth book in the Inheritance Cycle.
1. Name of Death

Name of Death

Eragon stood in the hallowed hall of the elves in the capital Ellesmera, Saphira by his side, carefully minding her tail so she wouldn't accidentally swipe it over one of the many gardens that lined the walkways of the living structure. His mind always open, Eragon felt the gentle brush of Arya's consciousness as she glided down one of the paths and halted next to him. He turned towards her and smiled, she returned the gesture but there was an air of sadness that tainted her being, in fact the whole room felt mournful, as this was not a gathering of joyous tidings. Orimus and Glader had fallen.

Islanzadi, dressed in a gown of deep purple, rose from her throne and raised her arms. The hushed whispers of the gathered elders instantly silenced and all turned their gaze upon the elegant queen. Eragon felt the pulse of Galder's Eldunari in one of Saphira's saddlebags. He dared not to leave it out of reach, so he had kept it there in the hope that if one of the elves sensed its presence, they would assume that it was only Saphira's life force and refrain from attempting to discover the true source of the soft light that shone bright in his mind. He returned his attention to Islanzadi, who was still holding her arms out, and waited.

"Today," She slowly began "Is a day I hoped I would never be forced to face. Today is a day of great sorrow, for the last of the riders of old has fallen. The forest weeps for the Morning Sage and his mighty dragon. Never again shall it feel the wind from Glader's wings, nor the sweet song fall from the lips of our beloved Orimus. But we cannot dwell upon this matter, for there is a great danger upon us. And perhaps an even greater decision to be made." Islanzadi paused and surveyed the elders seated along both walls, settling her gaze on Eragon and Saphira.

"Eragon and Saphira do not yet have the strength or knowledge to defeat Galbatorix, nor even Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. And there are no more riders who can instruct them in the old ways." One of the elders, whose name Eragon could not recall, rose from his seat and stated,

"We have given him twelve of our finest spell weavers, is this not enough to at least defeat Murtagh and Thorn? If I recall correctly, they drove him off once before."

"This is true Aerlamel, but Galbatorix will take steps to ensure that Murtagh is not bested a second time." The elders nodded in agreement. "Even so" Islanzadi stated flatly, "if Eragon and Saphira manage to defeat Murtagh and Thorn, it will mean nothing when we march upon Urubane. For twelve of our finest spell weavers pose no more a threat to Galbatorix than do twelve mice to an eagle." Once again, the collected elders nodded their heads in agreement.

Aerlamel again voiced the question that was on all of their minds, "So what do you suggest my queen?" Islanzadi bowed her head as if carefully considering her response, then with a firm nod looked up and uttered a single word

"Sicarius."

The elders stared, dumbfounded, at their queen, next to him, Eragon felt Arya flinch, Even Saphira looked up with surprise. "What is it?" Eragon asked her

_I don't know, _She replied, _But the name, it falls heavy upon my ears with resentment and… _She paused, as if carefully considering her feelings.

_Fear._

"Fear!" Declared Eragon, so astounded by the simple word that he had not said it mentally, but almost shouted it. The elves, still silent, all turned to face Eragon and Saphira. Islanzadi strode before them and, with a voice that chilled Eragon, recited

He came from the shadows

A man clothed only in night

But he was not a man

He was death

Death on midnight's wings

"Those were the final words of the rider Ellothrin, as he lay dying in a pool of his slain dragon's blood. It does not surprise me that you know this name Saphira, for it was the final thought that entered the minds of many of your brethren before they were sent to the land of their dead. And you do right to fear it, for this name plagued the dragons and riders alike for many long years during the fall."

"But who is he, and why did his name plague the riders?" Eragon asked. "Saphira has never been afraid of anything, let alone a simple name, its ridiculous!"

"Still your tongue Shadeslayer," commanded Aerlamel, "That name is not only the bane of the riders, but also of the dragons. You cannot begin to imagine all that it represents."

"Then what does it represent?" Eragon snapped, growing impatient with the elves word games.

Unexpectedly, the answer came from Arya, her voice cold as ice. "It represents death Eragon, Sicarius represents death and perhaps the dragons only true fear. If a dragon ever has nightmares, they see the eyes of Sicarius staring at them from the shadows. He was Galbatorix's Top assassin, perhaps the only true dragon slayer who ever lived."

Eragon paused in thought. He had heard of slayers in some of Brom's stories, but the references were always brief, and shrouded with mystery and foreboding. Turning back to Islanzadi, he said " I have heard of dragon slayers before, albeit briefly, so what makes this Sicarius the only true slayer?"

Islanzasy smiled, "Your questions truly never run dry Eragon. It is true that over the centuries many have boasted the title of dragon slayer, but rarely did these individuals truly kill a dragon. Some lied entirely, others would find a dead dragon or one near to death and seize the opportunity for glory." She paused and her face hardened. " But there have been a few, and these few we know little about, as they flit in and out of lore like wisps of smoke through the needles of a pine. The most recent being Sicarius. You see Eragon, killing a dragon or two does not make one a slayer, only mighty, or cunning. Sicarius has sent many riders to their graves, but dragons…"

"How many?" breathed Eragon

Again, Arya unexpectedly provided the answer, "Hundreds, Eragon, perhaps more. Were it not for Sicarius, the dragons may have never fallen and this war would be over. But not to worry, he was imprisoned, banished to the third layer of the abyss. There he has remained for nearly a century, at the mercy of the demon Atsoos."

_Why not just kill him? _Saphira inquired

"Death was too merciful a punishment for his crimes." Arya answered coldly, now turning to her mother "But I do not understand…"

"Is it not obvious?" Declared Aerlamel, his voice heavy with trepidation. "She plans to release him!"

For the first time, Eragon witnessed an elf blanch.


	2. Sicarius

Sicarius

Eragon never thought that an elf could pale, but all color drained from Arya's face, leaving her with a hollow visage. The elders gasped and all rose at once, but before they could object, Islanzadi raised a hand and commanded "Peace."

An elf maid stepped forward "My lady, you cannot be serious. Sicarius mustn't be released, it would surely spell doom for us all."

Another elf declared "Sicarius had no love off our kind before, think what he feels after a century in the hands of Atsoos. He will wreak destruction on us all!" Again, Islanzadi commanded "Peace." and the elders fell silent. "I realize that this may seem daft of me," she continued "even I am unsettled by its implications. But I have thought long and searched for any other possible alternative, and there is none. Eragon and Saphira must be instructed, and who better to instruct them than one who very successfully hunted their kind?"

Aerlamel stepped forward, "And what, my queen, makes you so sure that he will agree to help us?" Islanzadi whirled towards him.

"Do you have any idea what a demon is capable of?" she asked "Give one an hour and they will have you begging for death, Sicarius has been at the mercy of Atsoos, one of the cruelest their vile kind has ever known, for a century. I guarantee he will readily accept my offer."

_And what exactly is your offer? _Saphira asked.

All the elves silenced and turned towards Islanzadi. "Yes mother, what do you plan to offer Sicarius in return for his services?" Arya suddenly asked, her face still pale from the shock of Islanzadi's earlier announcement. Eragon briefly wondered why she seemed so much more upset than anyone else at her mother's plan, but he did not have the time to inquire before Islanzadi answered her and Saphira's question.

"If Sicarius agrees, and fulfills his oath, I will grant him a full pardon of his sins so long as he leaves this region of Alagasea and never returns."

"And if he refuses?"

"He will not."

_Say he does_

Islanzadi sighed "Then we will shut the portal and he will remain in the abyss for the full term of his sentence." Islanzadi turned to the elders. "There can be no harm in asking him, I propose that we open a portal and see what he has to say on the matter."

After a brief pause, Arelamel stepped forward, "I do not like it, but I agree, let us open a portal and see what Sicarius has to say." Around the hall the elders hesitantly began to nod. Islanzadi turned towards Arya, "What of you my daughter, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Arya looked down, and thought for a minute, then very quietly said "You know my feelings concerning Sicarius, but I agree with your proposal to open a portal."

Islanzadi nodded and clapped her hands, five elves garbed all in black, entered with a variety of objects in their arms. They paused before Islanzadi and bowed. "Prepare the summoning circle." She commanded.

"Yes my lady" They then cleared a large area and began pouring black sand into a circle with a diameter of ten feet, then made a square centered perfectly, its edges touching the lines of the circle. Over the next hour they made lines of sand in and out of both shapes, forming runes and symbols. Once this was finished, they proceeded to make four more circles outside the four corners of the square. In these, they also made intricate lines and glyphs. The finished product Consisted of the large summoning ring and four smaller rings, each with a cleared ring at the center, five feet in the center of the larger, and a half foot in the smaller. Then they began the task of going over every inch of their work.

Arya leaned into Eragon's ear and whispered "if even one thing is wrong, one grain of sand out of place, the circle will fail, and the summoned will be able to simply step out of it."

"What happens then?"

She looked at him darkly "With a demon, it kills a few of us before being sent back."

"What about Sicarius?"

A smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth, "We all die"

_That was a cheerful analysis. _Saphira commented. Eragon only turned and watched as the five elves slowly went over their work.

Nearly two hours later, they all straightened and moved to stand before Islanzadi. "The summoning circle is complete my lady."

Islannadi looked down, as if she was in deep thought, then looking up commanded, "Proceed"

The five elves bowed and positioned themselves, one at each of the small rings, and one at the front of the main summoning ring. The four elves each removed an object from their robes and set it in their circle, a ravens feather, a wolf tooth, a sphere of ice and a strange multi colored rock. Then they all then began to sway, back and forth, chanting in a low voice. Eragon couldn't make out any words other than Sicarius, which was getting said with increasing intensity.

Black clouds began to rise from the runes, swirling around the center of the ring with increasing intensity. The five elves were now chanting so quickly that Eragon could not tell one word from another, but their voices were loud and the fraises lingered in the air longer than they should have. The clouds were now so thick that they formed an impenetrable tube that rose to the top of the trees that formed Tialdari hall, now spinning so rapidly that they emitted ominous howl. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and Eragon had to avert his gaze as a wave of foul smelling heat washed over him.

His gut clenched as he looked up, for in the center of the summoning ring now stood a man. The mans skin was as white as bleached bone. Eragon would have mistaken him for a shade were it not for the color of his hair, was the color of bronze, and the two enormous coal black wings that protruded from his back. Next to him Arya whispered with a combination of awe and fury. "Behold Eragon, the last of the Immortal Elites, behold Sicarius."


End file.
